Christianity vs Islam - Difference and Comparison

Also Compare

Cameras Cars Cell Phones GPS Systems Processors Tennis Players more..

From Diffen

[Edit Comparison Table]

Similarities (2)

Differences (36)

Show All (38)

	Christianity	Islam
Geographical distribution and predominance:	Europe, North and South America	Middle East, South East Asia
Place of origin:	Palestine	Saudi Arabia
Place of worship:	Church, chapel, Cathedral	Mosque, Masjid
Day of worship:	Sunday but varies throughout many individual churches.	Friday
Scriptures:	Holy Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Testament and the New Testament)	The Quran and the Hadith.
Confessing sins:	To God or to priests	To Allah
Clergy:	priests, monks, ministers, pastors, bishops, Elders, Deacons, Youth Ministers, Sunday School Teachers	Imams
Use of statues and pictures:	While crosses and pictures are generally accepted, the act of prayer to saints (their statues), Mary, or deceased believers for intercession or to the image of Jesus is not accepted and is labeled worshiping false idols.	Not permitted
Religious Law:	laws are recognized but this religion focuses on Grace. The 10 Commandments are a base but they focus on the idea of following the whole Bible as they have been freed from the legalistic following of the OT laws.	Sharia
View of other Abrahamic religions:	According to Christian doctrine, Judaism is a true religion, but with incomplete revelation and Islam is a false religion.	Jews and Christians are respected as "People of the Book," but they have wrong beliefs and only partial revelation
About:	Christianity is an Abrahamic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, believed to be the son of God.	Islam is an Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure
Status of Adam:	Sin came through the fall of Adam in the garden and resulted in separation from God but was reconciled through Christ's death and resurrection.	Free from all major sins and faults. Adam (PBUH) is the first prophet and Muhammad (PBUH) is the last prophet in Islam.
Belief of God:	Christianity believes in the Trinity of God. They also believe that there is only one true "God" while there are many other "gods" that the world serves.	Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, God's final prophet and follow his principals. Islam is monotheistic.
Concept of Deity:	Believe in the Trinity of God. Three persons in one Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit	God (Allah) is one and indivisible. They believe in a strict monotheism. "Allah" means God in Arabic
Second coming of Jesus:	Affirmed	Affirmed
Holy days:	Christmas, Easter, New Year, Pentecost, Saints' Feast Days	Navroz (New Years; the first day of Spring); Mawlid; lunar month of Ramadan; Eid al-Fitr; Eid al-Adha
Status of women:	Variable. Conservatives & liberals differ greatly. Women can become nuns, pastors in some denominations and only teachers in others.	Strongly affected by cultural traditions. Severely oppressed in some countries;
Resurrection of Jesus:	Affirmed	Denied, since He did not die but ascended into heaven
Belief:	Christians recognize Jesus as the Messiah, believing that salvation to eternal life is God's will for all people	Islam believes in the unity of one God.
God's role in salvation:	Many denominations believe in predestination, while others do not. Salvation is available to all people, but not everyone will accept it. However grace is extended to all who will accept it and God would have no man perish.	Predestination
Practices:	Regularly visit the church especially on Sundays for Holy Mass & Bible studies. And encouraging involvement not only within the church (body) but also in the community, doing good works and spreading the word.	Adherents are generally required to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community.
Birth of Jesus:	Virgin Birth	Virgin Birth
Prophet:	Jesus	Muhammad
Means of salvation:	Salvation through faith, while differing denominations debate eternal security, they generally agree that salvation is secured through a relationship with Jesus Christ and daily repentance of sins.	correct belief, good deeds, Five Pillars
Human Nature:	"original sin" inherited from Adam, tendency towards evil, but the sins of the father do not pass through to the son, therefore, Children are holy, and until they reach the age where they can know good from evil, their sins are not held against them.	equal ability to do good or evil
Identity of Jesus:	Son of God, God Incarnate, Saviour of the world, one with God the Father and Holy Spirit. We become family as we receive the "spirit of adoption" to God, therefore Christ is ones huband, brother, savior, and Lord.	A true prophet of God, whose message has been corrupted
Death of Jesus:	Death by Crucifixion	He did not die, but ascended into heaven during crucifixion
Legislation:	Prerogative of the church denominations or independent churches. Each church decides it's own bylaws but usually follows the greater authority of the General Counsel of that denomination for rulings in disputes on church issues.	Prerogative of God
Original Language:	Aramaic and Greek	Arabic
Population:	1.8 Billion (Wikipedia)	There are around 1.3 billion Muslims in the world
Original Languages:	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin	Arabic
Literal Meaning:	Christian" (Greek Χριστιανός Strong's G5546), meaning "belonging to Christ" or "partisan of Christ". Also referred to as "little Christs"	Islam (Arabic: الإسلام; al-'islām. The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God (Arabic: الله, Allāh)
Time of origin:	c. 33 A.D.	622 CE
Geographical predominance:	Europe, North and South America
Ressurection of Jesus:	affirmed
Concept of God:		Everything is ‘God’s.
Angels:		Angels are creation of Allah which are normally unseen and has been created from light. They do not have their own free will and always obey the commandments of Almighty Allah.
Definition:		Islam is an Arabic word which comes from the word ‘Salaam’ which means ‘Peace’. It also means submitting your will to Allah - the Almighty God. In short Islam means peace acquired by submitting your will to Allah.

Both Islam and Christianity are Abrahamic religions.

The definition of a Christian varies among different Christians groups. Roman Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox define Christians as a one who is the member of the Church and the one who enters through the sacrament of baptism. Infants and adults who are baptized are considered as Christians. Jesus’ Jewish group became labeled ‘Christian’ because his followers claimed he was ‘Christ’ the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew and Aramaic word, ‘Messiah.’

Islam (Arabic: الإسلام; al-'islām (help•info)) is a monotheistic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God (Arabic: الله, Allāh). An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim meaning “one who submits to God”.

1 History
2 Beliefs
- 2.1 Scriptures
3 Practices
4 Teachings
5 Groups
6 Population
7 Demographics
8 Related Articles
9 References

[edit] History

The first known usage of the term Christians can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. The term was thus first used to denote those known or perceived to be disciples of Jesus. Similarly, in the two other New Testament it refers to the public identity of those who follow Jesus. The history of early Christian groups is told in Acts in the New Testament. The early days of Christianity witnessed the desert Fathers in Egypt, sects of hermits and Gnostic ascetics. Christianity began in 1st century AD Jerusalem as a Jewish sect but spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond to countries such as Ethiopia, Armenia, Georgia, Assyria, Iran, India, and China.

Islam's historical development resulted in major political, economic, and military effects inside and outside the Islamic world. Within a century of Muhammad's first recitations of the Qur'an, an Islamic empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Central Asia in the east. Muhammad began preaching Islam at Mecca before migrating to Medina, from where he united the tribes of Arabia into a singular Arab Muslim religious polity. With Muhammad's death in 632, disagreement broke out over who would succeed him as leader of the Muslim community. Many leaders followed. For the Umayyad aristocracy, Islam was viewed as a religion for Arabs only. Islam spread rapidly during 750-1258 the era that they call The Golden Age. Since then this religion has progressed by leaps and bounds across the world.

[edit] Beliefs

The Christian Religion encompasses all churches as well as believers without churches, as many modern practitioners may be believers in Christ but not active church goers. A Christian will study the Bible, attend church, seek ways to introduce the teachings of Jesus into his or her life, and engage in prayer. A Christian seeks forgiveness for his or her personal sins through faith in Jesus Christ. The goal of the Christian is both the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on Earth and the attainment of Heaven in the after-life.

Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, God's final prophet, and regard the Qur'an and the Sunnah (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam. They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Islamic tradition holds that Judaism and Christianity distorted the messages of these prophets over time either in interpretation, in text, or both.

[edit] Scriptures

Christianity regards the Holy Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Testament and the New Testament) as authoritative: written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and therefore the inerrant Word of God.

The principle scriptures of Islam are the Quran and the Hadith. The Quran is the source of Allah's revelations to humanity, transmitted through his messenger, Muhammad. The Hadith is not considered a direct source of revelation; instead, it is supposed to contain the records of the traditions, practices and decision of the very earliest Muslim community.

[edit] Practices

Christians believe that all people should strive to follow Christ's commands and example in their everyday actions. For many, this includes obedience to the Ten Commandments. Other Christian practices include acts of piety such as prayer and Bible reading. Christians assemble for communal worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, though other liturgical practices often occur outside this setting. Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New Testaments, but especially the Gospels.

Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community. In addition to the Five Pillars, Islamic law (sharia) has developed a tradition of rulings that touch on virtually all aspects of life and society. This tradition encompasses everything from practical matters like dietary laws and banking to warfare.

[edit] Teachings

The Holy Quran is the highest authority in Islam. It contains the exact words of God as revealed to Prophet Muhammad and recorded by his companions. The basis faith teachings of Islam preach about the divinity and supreme authority of God(Allah). It also preaches tolerance towards other religions. Only Islam has questioned the basic tenets of Christianity, such as the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus and his atoning death on the cross. Islam does not approve the use of force in the propagation of religion. For Muslims, the Quran answers questions about daily needs, both spiritual and material. It discusses God and God's Names and attributes; believers and their virtues, and the fate of non-believers (kâfir); Mary, Jesus, and all the other prophets; and even scientific subjects. In practice, the laws that Muslims follow are contained in the law collections known as the Hadith. Islam also teaches respect towards parents and elders. Christianity, on the other hand preaches the trinity of God and the existence of God(Jesus) as immortal. Christianity talks about Jesus as the saviour of the world and doesn't regard Islamic principles as true. Another universal teaching of Christianity is following the concept of family values, helping the powerless and promoting peace.

[edit] Groups

There are many people who follow Christianity and have divided themselves into various groups/ sects depending upon varying beliefs. The types of Christians include Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Coptic, Rastafarian, Gnostic. Almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations, the Sunni and Shia.

[edit] Population

Data suggests that there are around one billion and eight hundred million Christians in the world. There are around 1.1 to 1.8 billion Muslims in the world, making Islam the second largest religion n the world after Christianity.

[edit] Demographics

Commonly cited estimates of the Muslim population in 2007 range from 1.1 billion to 1.8 billion. Approximately 85% are Sunni and 15% are Shia, with a small minority belonging to other sects. Some 30–40 countries are Muslim-majority, and Arabs account for around 20% of all Muslims worldwide. South Asia and Southeast Asia contain the most populous Muslim countries, with Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh having more than 100 million adherents each.

Christianity is the world's largest religion. It is the predominant religion in Europe, the Americas, Southern Africa, the Philippines and Oceania. It is also growing rapidly in Africa and Asia, particularly in China, South Korea and the Middle East. It is declining in other countries including Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany.